Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Lenexa (KS); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) at the GS-06 level.

The role involves difficult administrative patient support across clinics within an interdisciplinary care model, emphasizing access to care and efficient patient flow. Experience requirement is for creditable experience equivalent to GS-5, with advanced KSAs in care coordination and medical terminology.

Qualifications

• One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS- Fifth grade level.
• Advanced knowledge of scheduling across interdisciplinary care delivery with community care models.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures for interdisciplinary care delivery and patient flow.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology used by clinicians.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse medical professionals to meet patient care goals.
• Ability to set priorities, organize work, and meet deadlines while following processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level administrative support across multiple clinics and care coordination settings.
• Assist in managing patient access to care, including scheduling and referrals as part of interdisciplinary care.
• Prepare reports and communicate with internal and external stakeholders to resolve patient concerns.
• Support compliance with VA policies and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Advanced health care process knowledge

Interdisciplinary care collaboration

Medical terminology knowledge

Team communication with clinicians

Prioritization and time management

Effective customer communication

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

At the advanced level, the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) (AMSA) performs difficult and responsible specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience. None.
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grandfathering Provision.

Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

Experience.

(1) Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.

(2) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, an individual employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive credit for 1 fulltime workweek for each 2 weeks of service.

(3) Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06.

Experience. One (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5).

AND

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
2. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
3. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
4. Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g., medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
5. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
6. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying light items such as papers, books and small parts, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.